Who Else Loses If $1.5 Billion Lottery Winner Doesn’t Claim Money

As of today, the winner of the biggest jackpot in lottery history has yet to come forward and claim the $1.5 billion dollar prize. The winning Mega Millions ticket was sold at a gas station in Simpsonville, South Carolina for the October 23, 2018 drawing. Winners have 180 days to claim their loot. The numbers were 5-28-62-65-70 and the Mega Ball number was 5.

According to an article in Newsweek, if the prize has not been claimed by late April 2019, the money will be returned to the 44 states who hold Mega Millions lotteries. This means that South Carolina will miss out on $11.2 million dollars for their education fund, and an estimated $70 million in state taxes. The owner of the gas station who sold the ticket is set to get $50,000, and that won't happen either, if the winner does not come forward.

Since the winner did not claim the prize by January 1, 2019, they won't have to pay taxes on the big bucks until April 2020. If they actually come forward, and that's a big if. Wow.

That's a lot of money, and there are several reasons why one wouldn't make themselves known, but I sure hope the winning ticket isn't sitting under the front seat of someone's truck, and they just don't realize what they have until it's too late!